Monday, March 25, 2013

Most allopathic medical
practitioners would argue that the process of aging is nothing more than a
normal process whereby cells deteriorate at a predetermined rate controlled by
genetically determined commands and heredity. Standing in stark opposition is a
rapidly growing body of research and documented evidence to indicate that aging
is a product of many varied lifestyle choices including physical activity,
smoking and most importantly, the type of diet we regularly consume.

In addition to being a potent cellular
antioxidant, carnosine
exhibits a number of other unique capabilities that help limit glycation (the
abnormal linking of proteins with glucose or lipids) to prevent injury to
tissues and organ structures. These actions improve cardiovascular performance
to protect against stroke, heart disease, dementia and increased susceptibility
to cancer. Researchers publishing
in the journal, Cellular Physiology and
Biochemistry demonstrates that carnosine from supplements can help protect
against a first stroke, and can significantly lower the damage caused by
stroke.

Carnosine Binds with Zinc in the Brain to Prevent Abnormal Accumulation
and Amyloid Tangles

Researchers have demonstrated
that carnosine is particularly effective in providing multi-targeted protection
to the heart and blood vessels through age-inducing processes such as oxidation,
glycation, protein cross-linking, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere
shortening and heavy metal accumulation in tissues. Carnosine protects against
ischemia or loss of blood flow to the heart muscle, preventing the devastating
effect of reduced blood flow that leads to a heart attack.

A study team from the University
of Glasgow in Scotland has released the result of their study in the journal Biochemistry to explain the importance
of carnosine in the development and progression of cognitive decline and
Alzheimer’s disease in aging adults. They noticed that dementia patients
displayed lower levels of carnosine in their brains and spinal fluid than those
of other older adults, and found that the condition results from multiple
factors, virtually all of which have some connection to carnosine and its
function in the brain.

Supplement Daily with Carnosine to Help Prevent Dementia, Heart
Disease, Stroke and Diabetes

The researchers demonstrated that
those parts of the brain that are first affected in early Alzheimer’s disease
are the same in which carnosine is normally found in the highest
concentrations. As carnosine levels fall with age, those brain areas become the
most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s-related damage. Carnosine is known to bind with
zinc in the brain, ushering them away from delicate tissues and preventing
abnormal accumulation. Supplementation in known to increase blood levels and
cellular saturation to halt protein cross-linking and the characteristic
neurofibrillary tangles so frequently associated with the disease.

A growing number of
forward-thinking scientists refer to carnosine as an “anti-aging
dipeptide”, capable of defending against cardiovascular disease, stroke,
diabetes, cognitive decline and dementia. Carnosine is readily available from
high protein animal dietary sources including milk, eggs, cheese, beef, poultry
and pork. Most health-minded individuals avoid these food sources for health
and ethical reasons, and will want to supplement (500 to 1,000 mg per day) to
shield against vascular disease and abnormal cellular aging.

Monday, March 18, 2013

The risk of thrombosis, commonly
known as a blood clot, can represent a significant threat to overall health and
quality of life. Clots that form and become unstable can break away, blocking
blood flow to the brain or the heart muscle. The result can be a fatal heart
attack, stroke or debilitating paralysis leading to diminished capacity that frequently
signals a shortened life expectancy.

Rutin Can Prevent Blood Clots by Inhibiting Platelet Aggregation

There are a number of natural
compounds that help to improve the structure of the vascular system including
vitamin C and the amino acids lysine and proline. Researchers publishing in The Journal of Clinical Investigation describe
the effect of a compound called rutin, commonly found in fruits and
vegetables and sold over the counter as a dietary supplement that has been
shown to inhibit the formation of blood clots in an animal model of thrombosis.

The lead study author, Dr. Robert
Flaumenhaft, an investigator in the Division of Hemostasis and Thrombosis at BIDMC
and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School commented“It's not always fully appreciated that
the majority of Americans will die as the result of a blood clot in either
their heart or their brain…. approximately half of all morbidity and mortality
in the United States can be attributed to heart attack or stroke.” Any
natural compound that is shown to prevent blood clot formation can
significantly lower vascular-related mortality.

Eat Rutin or Supplement with Quercetin to Prevent Thrombus Formation

To conduct the study, researchers
focused on a protein called disulfide isomerase (PDI) which is found in all
cells. Past studies have shown that PDI is rapidly secreted from both platelets
and endothelial cells during thrombosis when a clot forms in a blood vessel,
and that inhibition of PDI could block thrombosis and prevent a fatal stroke or
heart attack. The scientists therefore developed a wide-scale search for a
natural agent capable of inhibiting the PDI protein and prevent vascular
thrombosis.

Researchers identified
quercetin-3-rutinoside (rutin), a bioflavonoid that is naturally found in many
fruits, vegetables and teas including onions, apples and citrus fruits. The
scientists noted
that “Rutin proved to be the most
potently anti-thrombotic compound that we ever tested”, as the flavonoid
was shown to inhibit both platelet accumulation and fibrin generation during
thrombus formation. Three to five daily servings of rutin from dietary sources
or supplementing with 500 mg per day is shown to reduce platelet stickiness
leading to blood clots and risk of early death from stroke and heart attack.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Vitamin D is an essential
cofactor in the prevention of a host of conditions ranging from cancer to
diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease. The sunshine vitamin is a
critical part of our evolution as it has been circulating in our ancestral blood
for countless generations due to plentiful sun exposure. It has only been the
past half-century that we have lathered ourselves with sunscreen and hidden in
buildings away from the vitamin
D producing effects of the sun, following the sage advice of doctors and
other misinformed medical professionals.

Vitamin D is rapidly emerging as
one of the most researched natural compounds demonstrated to promote human
health. More evidence in support of the prohormone is provided by researchers
in Spain publishing the
result of their work in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. Scientists
have found that insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a
deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections,
neoplasias or autoimmune diseases, and can effectively shield us from the
common cold and influenza during winter months.

To perform the analysis and
gather data for this study, researchers compared the changes in the blood
levels of vitamin D among three groups
of healthy subjects: youth (aged 20 to 30), middle-aged (aged 31 to 59), and
elderly (aged 60 to 86). The scientists found decreased levels of vitamin D
with aging, likely due to decreased exposure to the sun and a decline in the
native ability of skin receptors to produce precursor levels of vitamin D,
commonly found among individuals above the age of 40.

Supplement Daily with Vitamin D to Raise Circulating Blood Levels

The research team found that the
level of circulating vitamin D in the blood affected the toll-like receptor
(TLR) expression measured on white blood cell lymphocytes and monocytes. Specifically,
they found that the TRL most affected by a vitamin D insufficiency is TLR7,
which regulates the immune response against viruses. In many geographic
regions, limited sun exposure during darker winter months is closely associated
with vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for colds and influenza outbreaks.

The lead study author, Dr. John
Wherry concluded“This study shows that sunlight, or more
precisely the lack of vitamin D could have a role in the seasonally higher
rates of infection… since vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and generally
safe, this is a really exciting discovery.” It is best not to rely on sun
exposure or dietary sources to obtain vitamin D. Most health-minded adults will
want to supplement with an oil-based form of Vitamin D3 (experts recommend
starting with 5000 IU per day), and test twice a year using the 25(OH)D blood
test to confirm optimal levels above 50 ng/mL to achieve optimal protection
against colds, flu and many viral infection strains.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Resveratrol has been a popular
buzz word around the alternative health community for more than a decade,
touted for its anti-aging properties and potent antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory actions at the cellular level. Found in high concentrations
most commonly in the skin of red grapes and in many red wines, resveratrol is
thought to mimic the positive health benefits associated with calorie
restriction by up-regulating longevity genes known as SIRT’s.

Scientists from the Harvard
Medical School have published
the result of their work in the journal, Cell
Biology that demonstrates how resveratrol provides metabolic benefits as a
result of directly influencing the expression of genes that affect longevity.
This research confirms conclusively for the first time that the metabolic benefits
of the red wine ingredient disappear in mice that lack the famed longevity gene
SIRT1.

Resveratrol, commonly referred to
as a ‘dirty molecule’, has gained notoriety for its unique ability to influence
or alter the genetic expression of the SIRT family of longevity genes. Researchers
have discovered that the naturally occurring ingredient has other effects; it
influences dozens of other proteins critical to essential metabolic functions,
and some evidence had pointed to the importance of another well-known gene
(called AMPK) for resveratrol's cellular benefits.

Researchers using a mouse model
determined that resveratrol did not affect a group of mice that were
genetically bred to ‘knock-out’ the SIRT gene (mice are commonly used for this
type of study as they exhibit similar metabolic traits with humans). This
confirmed that the grape-derived compound directly alters longevity expression
in a dose dependent manner. Higher concentrations of resveratrol were found to
increase the degree of genetic influence exhibited by resveratrol
supplementation.

Resveratrol Lowers Systemic Inflammation to Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Further evidence documenting the
importance of resveratrol to human health is provided by researchers publishing in the American Journal of Cardiology.
Scientists found that cardiac patients supplemented for a period of one year with
the red nutrient lowered multiple markers of inflammation (including CRP, C-reactive protein) by 26
percent, as well as reduced clotting factors associated with stroke. The
researchers for this study used low doses of resveratrol (8 mg for the first
six months and 16 mg for the next six months) to achieve these results.

A vocal group of naysayers
constantly degrade the ever-growing evidence to support the importance of
resveratrol to human wellbeing. There is little left to dispute, as researchers
are regularly demonstrating that small amounts of resveratrol taken from diet
or supplementation can benefit overall wellness and cardiovascular diseases by
lowering levels of inflammation, providing antioxidant support and directly
altering genetic expression to extend our healthy lifespan.

Natural Weight Loss EBook by John Phillip.

About Me

John Phillip is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and Diet, Health and Nutrition Researcher/Writer with a passion for understanding Weight Loss challenges and encouraging Health Modification through proper Diet, Nutritional Lifestyle and Targeted Supplementation. John's passion is to research and write about the cutting edge medical technology which will affect our lives through life extension principles.